The central point of the West Clare village is this architecturally significant seven-arched stone bridge which crosses the Doonbeg River and divides the village. This photo features a doorway in the centre of the bridge which was once part of a famine era habitation.

The Illustrated London News of 29 December 1849 carried a sketch of Judy O’Donnell’s habitation under the bridge at Doonbeg wit the following caption: “Two wretched families have taken refuge under the bridge in a hole. They consist of two widows, one with three children, all ill of jaundice, and the other with five.”

The Crack’d Spoon Theatre Company performed a re-enactment of the story of Judy O’Donnell and her family at the bridge during the 2013 Famine Commemoration. More here